As We Lay Here
by Maripics
Summary: Kate gets a surprise visit from someone she didn't know existed. Set in the end of season five, Kate and Rick live together. Please keep in mind that chapter 1 is merely an introduction.
1. Because You're My Sister

As We Lay Here

Chapter One: Because You're My Sister

Kate and Rick were lying in the master suite, both half-asleep, when they heard the doorbell ring. Given that was after midnight and there was a snowstorm outside, they were rather surprised.

"Do you know who that is?" Kate asked, already reaching for her gun. It was instinctive, reaching for it whenever she was startled.

"No. Stay here, I'll go answer the door." Rick said, getting off of bed and grabbing a baseball bat from a shelf next to the bed.

"Like hell I will." Kate said, and went after Rick. They both walked towards the door, arms hand. "Who is this?" She asked.

"Uh, I'm looking for Katherine Beckett." A soft, juvenile voice answered. Kate walked over to the door, and looked through the peephole. A girl, who seemed not older than sixteen, with a huge pregnant stomach, was clutching a small piece of paper. Kate hid her gun on her pajama bottoms, and slowly opened the door, gesturing for Rick to stay alert.

"I'm Katherine Beckett, how may I help you?" Kate said, as she let the girl in. it was piercing cold outside, and she couldn't help but wonder why she was out so late, and dressed so lightly. She would have to have a chat with her parents later on.

"My name is Elyse" the girl said, not letting go of the small piece of paper in her hand "Elyse Cardwell." She said.

"What do you need?" Kate asked "Castle, grab a glass of water for her, please?"

Rick nodded and went to the kitchen, leaving the two women alone.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you like this, and I wish there was another way, but I had nowhere to go to, and it was snowing and…" Elyse said, between tears. There was something in her face that reminded her of someone, but she couldn't tell what did, or who the girl reminded her of. She just knew that she needed to protect her.

"What is it? What do you have to tell me?" Kate asked, just as Rick entered the room and handed Elyse the glass of water.

"I'm your sister." Elyse said, and took a large gulp of water.

"Right!" Rick chuckled, before Kate could say anything.

Kate didn't say anything. Maybe she didn't believe Elyse, or maybe it hadn't hit her yet, but her face gave nothing away.

"I didn't expect you to believe me." Elyse said "So I brought some proof." The girls fiddled in her bag for a few seconds before pulling out a few papers from it. "Here's my birth certificate and a DNA test taken a few years after I was born." Elyse said, handing Kate the small stack of papers.

Kate took the papers from her hand and read the parent's information on her birth certificate.

_Mother: Elisabeth Janine Cardwell_

_Father: James Ulysses Beckett_

Kate could barely breathe. _Father: James Ulysses Beckett._ Kate did the math as quickly as she could. Johanna died in 1999. The birth certificate stated that Elyse had been born in 1996. Jim was still married to her mother.

The thought made Kate sick to her stomach. Rick had a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but he really didn't know what to do.

"I really am sorry, Kate." Elyse said. "I didn't want it to be like this. And trust me, if I had another choice, I wouldn't be here right now, but…"

"It's not your fault." Kate said, without taking her eyes off the birth certificate "Castle, could you show Elyse the guest room?" Kate asked, and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Sure." He said, and walked over to Elyse's side "It's this way." he continued, and offered her a hand to help her off the couch.

"Thank you." Elyse said, as she took Rick's hand and got up. "And I'm so sorry." She looked at Kate.

Kate nodded and picked up her phone from the coffee table. She didn't know what was doing, and she didn't really think as she dialed her father's number, but she needed an explanation, and she needed it stat.

…

Kate didn't move after she called Jim. She told Rick she didn't want any food, but aside from that, she just sat still. Rick was walking around the loft, wondering what he should do, when the doorbell rang.

"Should I get it, or you want to?" He asked, stopping to stand next to her.

"Actually, would you mind going to the bedroom and letting me talk to him?" Kate asked

"Sure, no problem." Rick said, and walked towards the master bedroom's door.

"Rick." Kate called "I'm sorry to bring all the craze to your place."

"Don't. I'm happy I get to be close to you right now." He said, giving her a compassionate look and walking over to the couch to plant a soft kiss on her hair.

"Thank you." She said, and got up from the couch. Kate had never felt so grossed out by her own family. She wasn't close to any of her relatives except for her parents, and they usually got along really well. She opened the door slowly, afraid to look at Jim. "Come in." she said, without looking into his eyes.

"Katie, what's going on? It's after one!" Jim complained, unbuttoning his coat.

"Do you know who's upstairs?" Kate asked, leaning on the kitchen counter. She felt so cheated. All of her life, her parents were the picture-perfect couple you see on sitcoms and novels. She could've never seen that coming. When Jim gave her a puzzled look, she proceeded "Elyse."

"Elyse… oh god." Jim said.

"Yes. Elyse, your daughter." Kate spat, angrily "The one you had with another woman while you were still married to my mother!" she yelled, feeling tears form in the corner of her eyes.

"Katie, I don't think this is the time to talk about that."

"Are you fucking kidding me?! Your sixteen year old daughter appeared in my boyfriend's door after midnight, and you say you don't want to talk about this? You don't get to choose!" Kate said, tears running down her cheeks.

"Katherine. Stop yelling. I am your father, and you can't talk to me like this." Jim said.

"How could you? How could you cheat on mom? I thought you loved her!" Kate held her breath to stop herself from crying even more "How could you lie to her, how could you not tell her you had a kid?"

"She knew!" Jim yelled "She knew all along. That was our marriage, Katherine. Mine, and your mother's. You don't get to judge our relationship."

"Is she the only one?" Kate asked "How many more children did you have outside your marriage?"

"I'm leaving." Jim said, fastening the buttons on his coat "You can call me later if you want to talk to me like a normal person."

"Get out!" Kate yelled, just as Jim slammed the door behind him and Rick entered the room.

"Kate…" he said, wrapping her in a bone-crushing hug. "It's going to be alright." He said, between Kate's muffled sobs. She couldn't believe the events that took place in that evening. Not only finding out that her father had been unfaithful, but that he'd had a child, and her mother knew about it. Never in her life had she felt worse. "Hey. What do you need? Can I make you something to eat?"

"No, thanks." Kate said, taking her head out of Rick' chest "I need to speak to Elyse. I'll come down in a bit." Kate walked up the stairs, unsure of what she would do. Elyse wasn't to blame for any of what happened. And she just seemed so scared and fragile… Kate knocked on the guest room's door, and opened it when she heard a soft 'come in'. "Hey."

"Hey." Elyse answered. She was sitting cross-legged on the end of the king-sized bed, and she looked so small. It wasn't usual for Kate to have maternal feelings, but it was different with Elyse. She'd known the girl for what, an hour? But still, there was some kind of connection between them. Kate thought about how she, as a little girl, wanted a sister so bad she made one out of cardboard, and walked around with it for almost a month. As an adult, she did miss it, but her close friends were enough family for her. "I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused. I'll understand if you want me out of here."

"Elyse, none of this is your fault." Kate said, sitting next to her on the bed "Though I would kind of like an explanation."

"An explanation?" Elyse asked.

"There's a snowstorm outside. It's very late. Why weren't you at home?"

"Home." Elyse said "That's something I never knew."

"Why?"

"Well, your father, our father, wasn't present in my life. And my mother has the habit of burying all of her problems in alcohol."

"I'm sorry to hear." Kate said, placing a hand over Elyse's.

"Yeah. At least I have my baby now." Elyse said, and rubbed her stomach. "Ouch." She said, suddenly grabbing her swollen belly.

"What's wrong?" Kate asked, concerned.

"Nothing. He's just kicking." Elyse explained "Wanna feel it?"

"Oh, I don't think…" Kate said, just as Elyse placed her hand on her stomach. "Wow."

"This is your nephew."

**Author's Note: Would you do me a huge favor a drop a little review? It means the world to me. **


	2. Everlasting

**Chapter Two: May This Be Everlasting For As Long as It Lasts**

The following month went smoothly. Elyse was settled in the loft, back in school, and taking care of herself and the baby. Kate had even accompanied her to her last appointment, and got to hear her nephew's heartbeat. She still hadn't talked to her father, but she really had no desire to do so. She and Elyse were getting along amazingly, and if the girl was the only family (aside from the Castles) she would have, she was fine with it.

"Elyse!" Kate called "Don't forget your appointment later!" she said. She didn't really know how those worked out, but she figured that since Elyse was almost giving birth, she would be going to the hospital a lot more.

"I don't think we'll need that." Rick said, causing Kate to look towards the sound "We need to go to the hospital, now." Kate stared blankly at Castle, who was support Elyse with his body. Pain was spread all over the young girl's face, and Kate could see the faint liquid stain in her black dress. "Kate!" Rick yelled, ushering Elyse to the door.

"Which hospital should we go to?" Kate asked, grabbing her car keys and opening the door for them.

"The nearest one, please." Elyse answered, between hard breaths.

"Which one is that?" Kate asked, pushing the elevator button a dozen times.

"I think… I think the Downtown hospital." Rick said, as Elyse squeezed his hand tightly.

"I don't know how to get there." Kate said, walking over to Elyse's to hold her other hand.

"Just google it, dammit!" Elyse yelled, and the three of them entered the elevator. Kate quickly pulled her phone out of her pocket and typed the hospital name, getting directions there just as the elevator hit the parking lot.

"Let's do this."

…

"Castle, I gotta go back to work." Kate said, walking towards the place in the waiting room where Rick had been sitting in for almost two hours. "The doctor said it's probably gonna take a few more hours. Can you stay?"

"Yeah, sure." Rick said "I'll call you if anything happens."

"Thank you so much." She said, leaning down to give him a quick smack "Love you, bye!" Rick watched as Kate ran out of the hospital. She never failed to amaze him, whether it was with her talent, her huge heart, or her grace. He felt so damn lucky to have her.

…

"Kate, answer the phone! They had to perform an emergency C-section, and the baby should be born in a few minutes. Please call me as soon as you hear this." Rick said, and hung up the phone. He'd been sitting in that waiting room for the past five hours, and not being able to reach Kate was starting to worry him. The doctor had come to explain him why they she was having a C-section, but he didn't really understand. He dialed Kate's number again, hoping that this time, she'd pick it up. Voicemail "Dammit, Kate." Rick felt the phone vibrate and saw it was a text from Lanie

_My battery died. If you need me, just call Lanie.- Kate_

Rick pressed the call button and dialed Lanie's number, and was relieved when he heard Kate's voice.

"Be brief." She said.

"Kate, Elyse is in the OR."

"What? Why?" Kate asked, nervously.

"They had to perform an emergency C-section. Something about her uterus. Or her lady parts. Or the baby being too big. I don't know."

"I'm coming." Kate said, and hung up.

…

"Castle!" Kate yelled, from the end of the hallway. The waiting room was empty, but she could see that Rick was sitting on the corner, mindlessly playing with his cellphone.

"Kate." He said, getting up from the chair to wrap his arms around her.

"Is there a doctor I can talk to?" she asked, reaching for her phone. She had never been so worried. She had no idea what could cause and emergency C-section, but the word 'emergency' implied that wasn't something good.

"A nurse came by just a few minutes ago." He said "She said Dr. Atkins will come and explain everything in just a little while." He could see the worry in Kate's face. It was so unusual for her to be in that position, he felt responsible for whatever happened. "Sit here, okay? I'll ask her if he's on his way." Rick walked over to a large counter, where a few nurses sorted out papers and answered phones "Hi."

"How can I help you?" a middle aged woman asked. She had an angry tone in her voice, almost like she was upset that Rick was asking for her help.

"I'm Richard Castle. My girlfriend's sister had to have an emergency C-section about half an hour ago." He explained, completely ignoring her rudeness. "I don't know how long those things take, and I was just wondering…"

"Name?" She asked, without looking at Rick.

"Elyse."

"Full name, sir."

"Elyse Sarah Cardwell." Rick answered.

"Just a second." She said, typing Elyse's name on the keyboard "Oh." She exclaimed "Dr. Atkins will speak to you in a moment." She told him, and he couldn't help but notice the sudden change of tone in her voice.

"Do you know when…?"

"Dr. Atkins, Elyse Cardwell's chaperones are out here." The nurse said over the phone. "He's on his way."

Rick walked back to where Kate was sitting and sat next to her, grabbing her hand in the process. He didn't know what was going on, and he was sure she didn't either, but he was sure, she was terrified.

"Detective Beckett?" Dr. Atkins asked, as he entered the waiting room.

"Here." Kate answered, getting up from her chair to face the tall man.

"Miss Beckett, I'm very sorry." Dr. Atkins began, just as Rick got up to wrap Kate in an one-armed hug. "We did our best, but she lost a lot of blood."

"Is she dead?" Kate asked, using all of her strength not to cry.

"I'm very sorry." He said.

Kate collapsed. The scream she let out was heartbreaking. Rick was holding onto her for dear life, and that was the only thing that kept her from falling. He'd never seen her so fragile. She was broken.

"What about the baby?" Rick asked, knowing that Kate was too shocked to say anything.

"He's fine. He's healthy." Dr. Atkins answered "When you want to see him, just talk to one of the nurses."

"Thank you, Dr." Rick said.

Dr. Atkins nodded "Again, I'm very sorry for your loss."

…

Kate and Rick were sitting in the waiting room. Kate still hadn't said a word, but Rick was sure she wanted to stay and see her nephew.

"What do you think is going to happen to him?" Kate finally said.

"I don't know." Rick answered "He's probably going to stay with her mom, or your dad."

"Shit." Kate said "An alcoholic or a pitiful bastard. Fuck."

A small 'ding' came from the elevator and a young girl, who seemed no older than Elyse, entered the room. She walked towards the couple, clutching a small blue bag.

"Are you Katherine Beckett?" the girl asked.

Oh great, another lost sister, Kate thought "Yeah, I am."

"I'm Taylor." The girl said "I'm Elyse's best friend."

"Oh." Rick said, when he noticed the panicked look on Kate's face "Taylor, do you wanna sit down for a moment?"

"Why? What's going on?" she asked.

"Taylor, something happened." Rick explained "The baby wouldn't come out, so they had to perform an emergency C-section. Elyse… she didn't make it."

"No." Taylor said, tears forming in the corner of her eyes "No!" she shouted, burying her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry." Rick said.

The following few minutes seemed like hours. Kate and Taylor didn't stop crying, and Rick didn't know what to do. It was all so surreal. One moment, Kate's lost sister shows up. She creates a bond with Kate. On the next, she's dead, and Kate's devastated. When would it all stop? When would she stop suffering so much? Rick asked himself.

"I guess I should give you this." Taylor said, and reached inside her bag, pulling a neon pink post-it out of it.

Kate grabbed the post-it and read it.

_If I die, my baby goes to my sister, Katherine Beckett. Call phone in the back for more information. _

Kate's head started to spin. Did she really just become her nephew's guardian? Was a post-it note worth anything?

_741-6372_

"Do you know whose number is this?" Kate asked Taylor

"It's Elliott's. He's a friend of ours. He's pre-law so he helped Elyse with some papers." Taylor said "Ever since she got pregnant, she felt like something bad was going to happen. I assured her it was nothing, but turns out…" Taylor said, sobbing "she was right."

…

"I called that Elliott guy." Rick said, handing Kate a cup of coffee. Taylor had left earlier, when her mother called and she had to go home. "It's all legal. Elyse made sure you were the baby's guardian in case something happened to her."

"Shit." Kate said, taking a large sip of her coffee "What am I gonna do?"

"I don't know. I just know that whatever WE choose to do, we'll do it together." He said.

"Thank you."

…

"He's gorgeous." Rick said, staring at the baby's perfect little face. He had dark hair and blue eyes, and was very agitated. He was very healthy, and the doctor had said he'd be able to go home in a few days. Rick had called a lawyer friend of his, and he was handling all of the paperwork. There was very little to handle, considering Elyse herself had taken care of it, but some things had to be worked out. Kate and Rick hadn't talked much since they found out Kate was the baby's guardian, but she'd asked him if he'd put his name in the birth certificate. Rick had said yes, and had told her that he'd always wanted children with her, and even though that was a bit different than with he thought it was going to be, he would stay by her side, and be a father to that baby.

"He looks a lot like Elyse." Kate said.

"He does."

"What are we going to do, Castle?" Kate asked, running a finger though the baby's head.

"We're going to raise that baby as our own. And we're going to love him, and make sure to keep Elyse's memory alive. And we're gonna be kickass parents, because we have to."

"I love you." Kate said.

"I know. Me too."

…

**Author's note: BOOM! Did you like the twist? I sure hope so. And oh, I wrote a song to you guys. "Review, would you review, it'd be awesome! Review, why won't you review! I need your view! Review, would you review…" it's probably a good thing I'm not a song writer. **


	3. Beautiful Boy

Chapter Three: Beautiful Boy

Lanie, Esposito, Ryan, Alexis and Martha entered the hospital together. Ryan had picked everyone up in their newly-bought minivan, and drove them all to the hospital per Rick's request. He wanted everybody close, and he knew they'd need them. The last time he'd cared for an infant was almost twenty years prior, and Kate… she'd never cared for a newborn.

"Hello, we're looking for Katherine Beckett and Richard Castle." Martha said, to an older nurse who was filling some kind of form.

"They're in the nursery." Another nurse answered, entering the room "Are you family?"

"Yes. I'm his mother." Martha answered.

The nurse nervously looked at the other people in the group. She had been handling their situation since the day before, when the little boy was born. She knew what they'd been through, and even though she was smart enough to know that not every one of them was family, she decided to overlook the fact "Just go that way." She said, pointing towards the nearest hallway.

"Thank you." Martha said, before leaving. The six-person group walked together, but didn't say anything. They too, were completely shocked and extremely hurt. But on top of all things, they were worried. Worried about how Rick and Kate would handle a child, and even more, about how this would affect their relationship. The six of them stopped in front of the big glass window that revealed the nursery.

Kate was sitting in one of the breastfeeding chairs, with the baby in her lap. Rick stood behind them, watching with amazement. A few seconds later, he placed a kiss on the top of the baby's head, and them on Kate's lips. The two of them smiled at each other, completely immersed in their own little world. It took Rick a few more minutes to realize that his family and friends were there. He then walked over to the door and opened it, walking outside the nursery to greet them.

"Hey, guys." He said, as Alexis wrapped her arms around his waist "hey, pumpkin." He said, ruffling the young woman's hair. "Thank you for coming."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world." Lanie said.

"Hi." Kate said, closing the door behind her.

"Hello, darling." Martha said "How are you?" she asked.

"Better. Still mesmerized, though." Kate answered, honestly. "It all happened so fast."

"Yeah." Jenny said, rubbing a hand through her swollen stomach. All of this made her concerned for herself and the baby, but she wouldn't be selfish and think about herself right then "Do you know what you're naming him?"

"No." Rick answered "Not really."

"We didn't really think about it." Kate said, just as the baby was placed in the bassinet closer to the window, facing them.

"Well, I think he looks like a Kevin." Ryan said, causing everyone to chuckle.

"No way. Kid can totally hold Javier." Esposito said.

"I think he looks like a Finley." Alexis said "It means warrior."

"I think it suits him." Martha said.

"Agreed." The three boys said.

"I love it." Jenny said.

"Me too." Kate said "Finley Richard Castle." She announced, and Rick squeezed her hand tightly "It's perfect."

…

"Oh, come on, Finn!" Rick shouted, entering the little boy's newly-furnished nursery. Alexis and Martha had set it up during the few days they were in the hospital while Kate and Jim (and Rick passing their notes to each other, since they still weren't speaking) planned Elyse's funeral. It would happen a few days later, exactly on the day Finley turned two weeks old. "I need you to sleep 'kay? You gotta rest." Rick said, picking him up from the crib. That was something he somehow managed to forget. How sleepless sleepless nights actually were.

Finn cooed, his bright blue eyes staring at Rick's "How 'bout I sing you a song? John Lennon sound good?" Rick asked, sitting in the glider and adjusting Finn on his lap "Close your eyes. Have no fear. The monster's gone, he's on the run, and your daddy's here." He sang, softly caressing the little boy's head. He had that innocent, pure look on his face that only children had, and it reminded Rick of how much he loved being a father. It was hard, no doubt, but so incredibly fulfilling. "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful , beautiful boy…" Rick continued, as Finn's eyes closed. "Darling, darling, darling, darling boy…" He finished, placing Finn on his crib. The little boy looked so small, and Rick couldn't believe how much he'd been through already.

…

Kate held Finn to her lap as she watched the priest. He'd been talking for the last half hour or so, but she wasn't listening. She could only think about the little boy in her lap, and how at two weeks old, he was attending his mother's funeral. She hated every single moment of it, and it all made her sick. From the black one-piece Rick had dressed Finn in, to the putrid smell of rotten flowers, she was absolutely sure she was about to collapse.

"Today we say goodbye to a friend, a daughter, a sister, a mother." The priest said, staring at Kate and Finn. "Elyse parted young, but had a full life in the eyes of those who loved her. She parted, but shall remain alive, in our hearts."

Kate caressed Finn's cheek softly. She had no idea of what she was doing, and she had no idea if she was doing it right, but she was doing her best, and that was all she had.

"Kate." Rick said, nudging her.

"What?"

"It's your turn." He said, reaching out to pull Finn from her lap.

"My turn to…?" she asked, before spotting Elyse's mother throwing some dirt over the coffin. "Oh." She exclaimed, and walked over to her side to pick up some of it to throw.

"May she rest in peace." The priest said, followed by the crowd.

…

"Can we go home?" Kate asked Rick, who was standing next to the food table distracting Finn with some sort of fabric octopus.

"What?" he asked "Kate, this is a wake for your sister."

"Oh. I didn't realize." She mocked, pulling Finn to her arms.

"We have to stay. At least for an hour more. After that, we'll go." He answered.

"Castle, why does this keep happening?"

"What?"

"Why do all the people I love either die or leave?" Kate asked, tears running down her cheeks. Finn started fussing as soon as he realized it, which caused Kate to rock him back and forth.

"Kate, that's not true, okay?" Rick said "The people you love are always here. I am here, Finn is here, all of our friends are here. And your mom and Elyse are too, somehow." He said, wrapping his arms around her and the little boy. "Those who love you never part, regardless of how far away they go."

"I love you, do you know that?"

"I do. And I love you."

…

"Katherine?" Kate heard someone call, and turned around to look for the voice. An older woman with a somber look approached her "I'm Elyse's mother." She said, and Kate could smell the alcohol on her breath.

"How can I help you?"

"Is this my grandson?" she asked, when she spotted Rick coming, with Finn on his lap.

"This is Finn." Kate answered, holding his tiny hand.

"Hello, little man." Anna said "I'm your grandma." She continued, and Kate gave her a reproving look.

"What do you need, Mrs. Cardwell?" Kate asked.

"Just… Just make sure he doesn't forget her, okay?"

"I will."

**Author's Note: How 'bout a review to brighten my day? **


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